2000 Saturn L-Series Vehicles Equipped with 4-Cylinder (L61) Engines. Saturn L Series 2000

For 1990-2009 cars

# 2000 Saturn L-Series Vehicles Equipped with 4-Cylinder (L61) Engines

Subject: | INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT OF 4-CYLINDER ENGINES, IF NECESSARY

Models: | 2000 SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4-CYLINDER (L61) ENGINES

### All Saturn Retailers and Authorized Service Providers

Saturn has decided that certain 2000 L-Series model vehicles equipped with 2.2L (L61) four-cylinder engines were produced with internal engine components that may fail prematurely. The most likely symptom you may experience is an engine miss accompanied by an engine noise.

### Vehicles Involved

Only selected 2000 model year L-Series Saturn vehicles within the following VIN range will require this campaign:

YY635745 - YY664641

A VIN listing of the involved vehicles is included in this bulletin for your reference.

You must verify campaign involvement through your AS400 system, or with the listing included in this bulletin. It is important to note that campaign claims will only be paid on involved vehicles.

### Owner Notification

Owners of all involved vehicles will be notified of this campaign by Saturn. (Refer to the owner letter included in this bulletin.)

### Facility VIN Listing

A list of vehicles assigned to you (Facility VIN Listing) , which our records indicate were sold by or shipped to you, (or are located in close proximity to your facility) is enclosed.

This listing contains:

• | Owner's name with address and telephone number;

• | Complete vehicle identification number (VIN); and

• | VINs of vehicles which according to Saturn records are in retail stock.

The Facility VIN Listing (with owner information) is furnished to involved Retailers with the Product Campaign Bulletin. Although these vehicles are assigned to your facility, it is important to note that owners may elect to have their vehicle serviced at the Saturn Retail Facility of their choice.

Those Retailers not involved initially in this campaign will receive a message at the top of a blank Facility VIN Listing that states: NO VEHICLES ASSIGNED AT THIS TIME FOR CAMPAIGN 00C09.

These listings may contain owner names and addresses obtained from State Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any other purpose is a violation of law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign. Those records updated with California DMV registration information will have the following message printed adjacent to the appropriate VIN: "OWNER INFORMATION UPDATED BY CALIFORNIA DMV; PUBLICATION PROHIBITED."

### Retailer Responsibility

All unsold vehicles in Retailers' possession and subject to this campaign must be held at the retail facility and repaired per the service procedure of this campaign bulletin before owners take possession of these vehicles.

Retailers are to service all vehicles subject to this campaign at no charge to owners, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Owners of vehicles recently sold from your vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the Retailer and arrangements made to make the required correction according to the procedure contained in this bulletin.

Ensure a process has been established to handle customer claims for vehicles requiring engine assembly replacement. Customers are offered their choice of one of the following options:

• | Option 1 - Vehicle Replacement, in effect through May 15, 2000

• | Option 2 - Replace the engine assembly and receive one of the following:

- | 6-Year/100,000 $0 deductible extended service plan; OR

- | 3-Year/45,000 $0 deductible Saturn Car Care Maintenance Plan

Retail Team Members should become familiar with all details related to this campaign.

Retailers are required to properly disclose the involvement of vehicles in this campaign to the next retail customer:

• | In-stock vehicles requiring an engine assembly replacement

• | Repurchased/replaced customer vehicles requiring an engine assembly replacement

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your retail facility for service in the future, please take the steps necessary to be sure the campaign correction has been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.

### Transfer of Campaign Responsibility

Saturn vehicles that have been sold by you, which may be closer in proximity to another Saturn Retailer, may still appear on your Facility VIN Listing. If either you or the vehicle owner determines that it is more desirable for a vehicle on your Facility VIN Listing to be serviced by another Saturn Retailer, or if the customer's address has recently changed, campaign responsibility may be transferred by completing the following:

• | Submit a Campaign Vehicle Action Report to your Customer Assistance Manager (CAM) at the Saturn Customer Assistance Center; OR

• | Submit an update in owner information to the Saturn Owner of Record system, via SERVICELINE XL, for Saturn Customer Assistance Center review and approval.

A copy of the Campaign Vehicle Action Report is included for your reference. Additional copies can be ordered from Saturn Publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item # S0397050 ). All changes to campaign responsibility will be reflected in your next Unfixed VIN Report.

All other changes in vehicle status (e.g., scrapped, stolen, etc.) are to be made in accordance with section 4.4.3 of the Retailer Service Reference Guide, "Notifying Saturn of Vehicle Status Change."

### Parts Information

1. A pre-shipment of engine assemblies and labels required to perform this campaign has been automatically sent to you from Saturn Service Parts Operations (SSPO). These initial shipments are to aid the Retailer in campaign preparation and ensure minimal customer inconvenience.
2. Should additional parts be required, please contact your Parts Support Analyst (PSA) and we will expedite the shipment. Please do not enter any orders for any part numbers listed without first contacting your PSA.

Orders must be placed through your PSA by 2:00 pm CST for over-night or 2nd day delivery.

Details are outlined in Technical Bulletin 99-T-28A for engine assembly replacements which occur outside the parameters of this campaign.

3. Required Parts:

Part Number | Description | Quantity Required Per Vehicle
--- | --- | ---
90537552 OR | Engine Asm - 2.2L (134 CID) - Auto OR | 1 OR
90537354 | Engine Asm - 2.2L (134 CID) - Manual | 1
N/A | Label - Saturn Engine Identification | 1

### Disposition of Replaced Parts

Retailers will scrap all replaced parts in a manner that ensures that they cannot be reused, remanufactured, or otherwise entered into the stream of commerce in the future.

### Suggestions for Ensuring Customer Satisfaction

As you know, Saturn's success hinges upon our ability to execute superior customer support throughout the ownership experience, especially when important corrective actions such as this are required.

It is imperative that every effort is made to accommodate the affected owners. Additionally, priority should be given to customer vehicles over retail inventory vehicles. If you have any questions, please coordinate with the Saturn Customer Assistance Center to help ensure customer satisfaction.

### Service Procedure

1. Slide the EVAP purge solenoid out of the bracket near the air cleaner assembly and secure the solenoid out of the way.
2. Remove the air cleaner lid:

2.1. | Loosen the hose clamp on the intake flex hose at the throttle body.

2.2. | Slide the intake flex hose off of the throttle body.

2.3. | Disconnect the connector from the intake air temperature (IAT) sensor.

2.4. | Release the clamps on the air cleaner lid.

2.5. | Remove the air cleaner lid and the intake flex hose as an assembly.

3. Remove the wiring harness rosebud retainer from the air box.
4. Remove the air box mounting bolt and remove the air box from the vehicle.

• | If the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transaxle, continue at step 8.

• | If the vehicle is equipped with a manual transaxle, continue at step 5.

5. Install an engine support fixture (SA9150E) or equivalent on the engine.
6. Remove the bolts that secure the engine bracket to the engine mount.
7. Remove the bolts that secure the engine mount to the frame. Remove the mount from the vehicle.

Important: If you are unable to read the ink stamp codes on the engine block, replace the engine. Refer to parts information in this bulletin and "Engine Replacement" procedure in the L61 Engine Service Manual.

8. Locate and inspect the date code ink stamp on the engine block at location 1 shown in the illustration.

• | If the date code ink stamp is any date other than 10/29/99, 10/30/99, or the range of dates between and including 11/03/99 - 11/12/99, engine replacement is NOT required.

- | If the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transaxle, continue at step 24.

- | If the vehicle is equipped with a manual transaxle, continue at step 21.

• | If the date code ink stamp is 10/29/99, continue to step 9.

• | If the date code ink stamp is between and including 11/03/99 - 11/12/99, continue at step 10.

• | If the date code ink stamp is 10/30/99, engine replacement is required. Refer to parts information in this bulletin and "Engine Replacement" procedure in the L61 Engine Service Manual.

9. Inspect the time code ink stamp (for date code 10/29/99 only) on the engine block at location 2 shown in the illustration.

• | If the time code ink stamp is between 08:00 and 23:59, engine replacement is required. Refer to parts information in this bulletin and "Engine Replacement" procedure in the L61 Engine Service Manual.

• | If the time code ink stamp is between 00:01 and 07:59, engine replacement is NOT required.

- | If the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transaxle, continue at step 24.

- | If the vehicle is equipped with a manual transaxle, continue at step 21.

10. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
11. Remove the accessory drive belt.
12. Disconnect the 2 generator electrical connectors.
13. Remove the generator to the engine bolt.
14. It may be helpful to use a yellow grease pencil to heavily darken the area on the engine block casting boss at location 3 show in the illustration. Wipe clean.

Important: The letter code stamp on the engine block casting boss may be in any orientation.

Important: If you are unable to read the letter code stamp on the engine block casting boss, replace the engine. Refer to parts information in this bulletin and "Engine Replacement" procedure in the L61 Engine Service Manual.

15. Inspect the letter code stamp on the engine block casting boss. An inspection mirror may be used to aid in reading the letter code stamp. If the stamp is difficult to read, shine a light source across the engine block casting boss from the side. If reading is still difficult, repeat the steps 14 and 15 as necessary.

• | If the letter code stamp is an "A" , engine replacement is required. Refer to parts information in this bulletin and "Engine Replacement" procedure in the L61 Engine Service Manual.

• | If the letter code stamp is a "B" , engine replacement is NOT required. Continue to the next step.

16. Position the generator and install the bolts from the upper generator to the engine. Finger tighten the bolts.
17. Install the lower generator to the engine bolts. Tighten all the bolts.

Tighten
Tighten both sets of bolts to 40 N·m (30 lb ft).

18. Connect the two generator electrical connections.
19. Install the accessory drive belt.
20. Connect the negative battery cable.

Tighten
Tighten the battery cable to 17 N·m (13 lb ft).

• | If the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transaxle, continue at step 24.

• | If the vehicle is equipped with a manual transaxle, continue to the next step.

21. Install the engine mount. Install the bolts that secure the mount to the frame.

Tighten
Tighten the bolts to 55 N·m (41 lb ft).

22. Install the bolts that secure the engine bracket to the engine mount.

Tighten
Tighten the bolts to 55 N·m (41 lb ft).

23. Remove the engine support fixture from the engine.
24. Install the air box and the retaining bolt. Ensure that the lower pin fully engages into the rubber mounting grommet and that the lower duct fits into the resonator outlet.
25. Install the wiring harness rosebud retainer to the air box.
26. Install the air cleaner lid and the intake flex hose. Ensure that the air cleaner lid hinge is fully engaged in the air box slots. Secure the lid clamps.
27. Slide the intake flex hose onto the throttle body assembly and tighten the hose clamp.
28. Connect the intake air temperature (IAT) sensor connector.
29. Install the EVAP purge solenoid on the bracket and retain the solenoid by sliding the bracket down.
30. Ensure that a Saturn 2.2 Liter engine identification label is affixed to the ignition coil cover on the top of the engine. If a Saturn label is NOT present, obtain a label and affix the label to the cover. A pre-shipment of these labels has been automatically shipped to you from SSPO.
31. Affix Campaign Completion Label on a clean and dry surface of the radiator core support, in an area clearly visible when hood is raised. For more information, refer to "Campaign Completion Label" in this bulletin.

### Campaign Completion Label

Upon completion of the campaign, a Campaign Identification Label and a Clear Protective Cover should be affixed on a clean, dry surface of the radiator core support in an area clearly visible when the hood is raised. Each label provides a space to print in ink (or type) the campaign number (00C09) and the five (5) digit facility code of the Retailer performing the campaign service.

As a reminder, additional labels may be ordered from Saturn publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item #S03 00013A for the Campaign Completion Label and Item #S03 00013B for the Clear Protective Cover ).

### Credit

1. To receive credit for inspecting and, if necessary, replacing the engine assembly, submit a claim with the information below:

Repair Performed | Failed Part No. | Parts Allow. | Sale Type | Case Type | Labor Op | Labor Hours | Admin. Hours*
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Inspect Date Code on Engine Assembly | -- | -- | WC | VC | V0491 | -- | 0.1

- Manual

--

--

--

--

--

0.4

--

- Auto

--

--

--

--

--

0.2

--

Add |  |  |  |  |  |  |

- Check Engine Block ID, If Necessary

--

--

--

--

--

0.5

--

Replace Engine Assembly, Including Inspections | -- | -- | WC | VC | V0492 | -- | --

- Manual

90537552

--

--

--

--

6.5

--

- Auto

90537354

--

--

--

--

6.2

--

Important: Applicable miscellaneous parts, such as engine oil and coolant, are to be sold to the Customer Service Order (CSO) following standard CSO preparation procedures. The parts allowance for these miscellaneous parts should be the sum total of the current SSPO Retailer net price plus 30%.

Important: Engine Exchange Program administrative allowance of $434 must be claimed in Net Item Amount using net item code M with labor op V0492

2. To receive credit for loaner/rental car costs incurred while owner awaits campaign repair or other goodwill expenses, submit a claim with the information below:

Repair Performed | Sale Type | Case Type | Labor Op | Net Item Amount | Net Item Code | # Days Rental
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Loaner Reimbursement | WC | VC | Z4093 | ** | C | ****
Other/Goodwill | WC | VC | Z4094 | ** | R | N/A
Engine Replacement - Customer Vehicle | WC | VC | Z4095 | **** | M | N/A

To receive inventory vehicle allowance for in-stock vehicles requiring engine replacement, submit a claim as follows:

Repair Performed | Sale Type | Case Type | Labor Op | Net Item Amount | Net Item Code | # Days Rental
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Engine Replacement - Retailer Inventory Vehicle | WC | VC | Z4096 | $1000.00 | M | N/A

Retailers are empowered to use good judgement regarding loaner/rental cars or any other goodwill expenses deemed necessary. It will not be necessary to call the Saturn Customer Assistance Center for authorization of goodwill. The Goodwill Worksheet (printed towards the back of this bulletin) must be used to document goodwill expenses. The completed Goodwill Worksheet must be attached to the hard copy of the CSO. Retailers are to make sufficient copies of the blank Goodwill Worksheet to document goodwill expenses.

Check your Saturn SERVICELINE.XL Claim Memorandum daily. Remember to code the claim as a WC sale type and VC case type. Contact your field representative if you need assistance.

All labor operations claimed in this bulletin must be submitted on individual (unrelated) CSO lines. Refer to the Customer Service Order Preparation Manual for details on Product Campaign Claim Submission.

* Campaign administrative allowance.

** Net amount must be submitted as a miscellaneous sale...Loaner reimbursement not to exceed $30/day.

*** Enter number of days vehicle was rented...Not to exceed 4 days.

**** Amount from line "K" of worksheet.

List of Involved Vehicles Within VIN Range

### 00-C-09 GOODWILL WORKSHEET

As stated in the "Credit" section of this bulletin, Retailers are empowered to use good judgement regarding loaner/rental cars or other goodwill expenses that might become necessary for customer satisfaction.

Complete this worksheet and attach it to the hard copy of the Customer Service Order (CSO) to document all campaign goodwill claims submitted to Saturn.

VIN #

A. Vehicle Loaner/Rental Allowance Explanation: | $
Repair Performed | Sale Type | Case Type | Labor OP | Net Item Code | # Days Rental
Loaner Reimbursement | WC | VC | Z4093 | C | *
* Not to exceed $30/day for 4 days
B. Other/Goodwill Allowance Explanation (Specify what was done and why): | $
Repair Performed | Sale Type | Case Type | Labor OP | Net Item Code | # Days Rental
Other Goodwill | WC | VC | Z4094 | R | N/A
Authorized Retailer Signature
(Please copy this form as necessary)

March, 2000

Dear Saturn Owner:

Saturn has decided that certain 2000 L-Series vehicles equipped with 2.2L (L61) four-cylinder engines were produced with internal engine components that may fail prematurely. The most likely symptom you may experience is an engine miss accompanied by an engine noise.

We want to assure you that as the owner of a Saturn vehicle, your satisfaction with our product is of utmost importance to us, which is why we are asking that you contact your Saturn Retailer immediately.

### What Saturn will do

Your Saturn Retailer will inspect your vehicle's engine build code to determine if further repair is necessary, It may be necessary to replace your vehicle's engine assembly. If engine replacement is necessary, Saturn will offer you your choice of one of the following options:

• | Option 1 - Replace your present vehicle with a new 2000 model year L-Series vehicle of equivalent value at no charge to you. This vehicle replacement offer will remain in effect through May 15, 2000

• | Option 2 - Replace the engine assembly in your vehicle and provide you with one of the following:

- | A 6-Year/100,000 Mile $0 deductible extended service plan at no charge to you; OR

- | A 3-Year/45,000 Mile $0 deductible Saturn Car Care Maintenance Plan at no charge to you

### What you should do

Contact your Saturn Retailer to make arrangements to have the engine build code inspected. The inspection will take approximately 1 hour. However some additional time may be needed for paperwork and processing. If it is necessary to replace your engine assembly the repair will take approximately 7 hours and alternate transportation will be provided.

Should your Retailer be unable to schedule a service date within a reasonable time, please contact the Saturn Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-553-6000 prompt 3, or for the hearing impaired, 1-800-833-6000. We will assist you and the Retailer in getting your car serviced.

Again, we sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this situation may cause you. We want you to know that we will do our best to make you completely satisfied with Saturn and your ownership experience.

Sincerely,

Saturn Corporation

00-C-09